Steering column mounted, multiple circuit controller operating means with slide-type multi-switch assembly

ABSTRACT

An electrical switch comprising a housing having a pair of recesses therein opening onto one surface of the housing which is closed by a cap, a set of terminals mounted at the bottom of each recess and a movable contact member for selective engagement with the terminals of each group. The contact members are movable in mutually perpendicular directions. Each contact member is mounted in a carrier which projects beyond the cover to be operable by an actuating mechanism including a lever pivotal about two mutually perpendicular axes to effect movement of the two contact members.

United States Patent [1 1 Cryer 1451 Feb. 19, 1974 [54] STEERING COLUMN MOUNTED, 3,662,336 5/1972 Suzuki et al. 200/61.27 X LT LE CIRCUIT CONTROLLER 3,125,702 3/1964 l-lerridge, Jr, et al 200/16 C X MEANS/Wm! 2 22122: 211225 22: 1:22? 2:12.2: MULTI'SWITCH ASSEMBLY 2,550,145 4/1951 Geci 200/16 0 Inventor: Edward Cryer, Higham near Bumley, England Assignee: Joseph Lucas (Industries) Limited,

Birmingham, England Filed: June 5, 1972 Appl. No.: 259,801

Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 3, 1972 Great Britain 36535/72 US. Cl 200/18, 200/16 R, 200/6l.27, ZOO/61.3, ZOO/61.35, 200/61.54

Int. Cl. H0lh 3/18 Field of Search 200/4, 16 R, 16 A, 16 C, 17 R, ZOO/61.54, 61.27-61.38, 18

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1970 Elliott et al. ZOO/61.27 X

Primary Examiner-J. R. Scott Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Holman & Stern [57] ABSTRACT An electrical switch comprising a housing having a pair of recesses therein opening onto one surface of the housing which is closed by a cap, a set of terminals mounted at the bottom of each recess and a movable contact member for selective engagement with the terminals of each group. The contact members are movable in mutually perpendicular directions. Each contact member is mounted in a carrier which projects beyond the cover to be operable by an actuating mechanism including a lever pivotal about two mutually perpendicular axes to effect movement of the two contact members.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEBI 91974 3,793 .491 Y sum 1 or 2 I STEERING COLUMN MOUNTED, MULTIPLE CIRCUIT CONTROLLER OPERATING MEANS WITI-I SLIDE-TYPE MULTI-SWITCI-I ASSEMBLY This invention relates to electric switches and has as an object to provide a switch in a convenient form.

An electric switch according to the invention comprising a housing, first and second groups of terminals in the housing, a first contact member slidable in the housing to interconnect selected terminals in the first group and a second contact member slidable in the housing transversely of the direction of movement of the first contact member to interconnect selected terminals in the second group.

Examples of switches according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a section through a switch,

FIGS. 2 and 3 are sections on the corresponding lines in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the interconnections made by operation of the switch of FIGS. 1 to 3,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams of the interconnections made by operation of alternative forms of switch, and

FIG. 7 is a part-section of an actuating arrangement for the switch of FIGS. 1 to 4. The switch of FIGS. 1 to 4 has a body 10 of insulating material and provided with projections 11 which are engageable in recesses in an associated structure later to be described. The body 10 has a pair of recesses 12,13 and an insulating cover plate 14. The bottom of the recess 12 is formed with five through holes 15 adapted to receive terminal pins 16, only three of which are inserted in the embodiment presently being described. The bottom of recess 13 is formed with three pins 16, are inserted.

A contact carrier 19, of insulating material, is slidable within recess 12 in a horizontal direction as seen in FIG. 3. The carrier 19 has projections 20 which cooperate with complementary recesses 21 in the cover plate 14 to provide a detent arrangement. A contact element 22 is carried by carrier 19 and is biased by a spring 23 towards terminals 16, the detent arrangement causing element 22 to come to rest in one of three positions A,B,C, as shown in FIG. 4, the contact position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 corresponding to position B. The carrier 19 includes a portion 24 extending through a slot in the cover plate 14 and engageable by an actuator arrangement later to be described with reference to FIG. 7.

Within recess 13 and connected to respective terminals 18 are conductor strips 25,26,27. A plunger 28 extends through plate 14 and is slidable in recess 13 in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of carrier 19. Located within the plunger 28 is a dumbbell shaped contact element 29 which is biased towards the strips 25,26,27 by a leaf spring 30. The strips 25,26,27 lie in a single plane and strip 26 is cranked so as to lie vertically over strip 25, as viewed in FIG. 2.

.Thus in the position of contact element 29 shown in the drawings, strips 26 and 27 are interconnected, corresponding to the position Z shown in FIG. 4. When plunger 28 is depressed to the bottom of its travel,

A switch as above described is adapted for incorporation into a switch actuating arrangement, the example of which is shown in FIG. 7, for mounting on the steering column of aroad vehicle. The switch is carried on a plate 41 which extends perpendicular to the axis of a sleeve 42 adapted to engage the steering column. Mounted on the plate 41 for movement about a pivot 43 which is perpendicular to the plane of the plate 41, is an assembly, shown generally at 44 which is associated with a collar 45 rotatable on the sleeve 42 to provide a known type of self-cancelling arrangement. The portion 24 of carrier 19 on the switch 40 extends into a recess 46 in assembly 44, whereby contact element 22 is movable between positions A and C as the assembly is pivoted.

A lever 47 is mounted on assembly 44 for movement about a pivot 48, lever 47 also serving to move assembly 44 about pivot 43. A spring-loaded plunger 49 is slidable in the end of lever 47 and engages a cam surface 50 which forms part of pivot 43. Plunger 28 of switch 40 engages the underside of lever 47. Cam surface 50 is formed so that lever 47 can locate, about a pivot 48, in positions which correspond to positions Y and Z as shown in FIG. 4. Cam surface 50 also provides, via plunger 49 a force urging lever 47 away from a position corresponding to position X in FIG. 4.

In use, the centre one of terminals 16 in FIG. 3 is connected to a voltage supply. Movement of the assembly 44 about pivot 48 in either direction from a central position, causes contact element 22 to be moved to positions A and C respectively to energise direction indicating devices on the vehicle.

Conductor strips 25,26,27 are respectively connected to a voltage supply via an on/off switch, directly to a voltage supply, and to the main beam headlamps of the vehicle, via the respective terminals 18. Movement of lever 27 to its fully clockwise position, as seen in FIG. 7 moves plunger 28 to position X, energising the main beam lights while the lever 27 is held in this position. When released the lever moves under the influence of cam surface 50 to its mid-position, in which none of the terminals 18 are interconnected. In the I fully anticlockwise position of lever 47 the main beam strips 25,27 are interconnected, corresponding to position Y in FIG. 4. There is an intermediate position of plunger 28in which no interconnections are made.

headlamps are energised, provided, of course, that the aforementioned on/off switch is made. If this on/off switch is also used to energise the dipped beam headlights, the position X,Y and Z of the switch will correspond to main beam flash, dipped beam and main and dipped beam, respectively.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative form of the switch, differing only in the arrangement of the terminals 16,18. The centre one of terminals 16 is connected to a voltage supply and movement of contact element 22 to positions B and C respectively switches the supply to the side lamps and the side and headlamps together. Movement of element 22 to and from position C of this switch corresponds to the on/off switch referred to in connection with FIGS. 1 to 4. The centre terminal 18 is omitted, one of the remaining terminals being connected to a voltage supply and the other to the vehicle horn.

This switch is actuated by an arrangement generally similar to that shown in FIG. 7. There is, however, no plunger 49 or cam face 50 to provide a detent, nor is there an associated self-cancelling arrangement. A spring is inserted between the lever 47 and the mounting plate 41, urging the lever 47 away from position corresponding to X in FIG. 5.

The further alternative form of switch shown in FIG. 6 again differs only in its terminal arrangement. Positions AB and C of contact element 22 correspond to off, slow, and fast running conditions for the vehicle windscreen wipers. Positions X and Z of plunger 29 correspond respectively to energised and off conditions of the vehicle windscreen washers. This last form of switch has an associated actuating mechanism substantially identical to that described in connection with the switch embodiment of FIG. 5.

I claim:

1. An electrical switch comprising a housing, first and second groups of terminals in said housing, a contact carrier slidable in said housing, a first contact member mounted on said contact carrier, a resilient member between said first contact member and said carrier urging said first contact member towards said first group of terminals so that said first contact member interconnects selected terminals of said first group upon sliding movement of said carrier, recesses in said housing on the opposite side of said contact carrier to said first group of terminals, projection means on said carrier for resiliently engaging said recesses so as to retain releasably said first contact member in any one of a plurality of positions relative to said first group of terminals, a second contact member slidable in said housing transversely of the direction of movement of said first contact member to interconnect selected terminals in said second group of terminals, operating means for sliding each of said contact members, each operating means projecting externally of said housing, a plate, an operating lever, and a pair of pivots mounting said operating lever for movement relative to said plate about two mutually transverse axes, said housing being carried by said plate and arranged so that said operating means projecting externally of said housing can be selectively operated by said operating lever upon movement thereof relative to said plate about said two mutually transverse axes.

2. The electrical switch according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a pair of recesses therein, each recess receiving one of said first and second contact members.

3. The electrical switch according to claim 1, wherein said operating means of said first contact member is movable transversely with respect to said housing and said operating means for said second member is slidable in and out relative to said housing.

4. The electrical switch according to claim 1, wherein a conductor strip attached to each terminal is adapted to be engaged selectively by said second contact member, a first and a second of said conductor strips being spaced apart in the direction of sliding movement of said second contact member and a third of said conductor strips being spaced from both of said first and second conductor strips transversely of the direction of sliding movement so that, in one position of said second contact member, said first and third conductor strips are interconnected and, in another position of said second contact member, said second and third conductor strips are interconnected.

5. The electrical switch according to claim 10, wherein said plate is carried by a sleeve which is adapted to be mounted on a steering column of a motor vehicle. 

1. An electrical switch comprising a housing, first and second groups of terminals in said housing, a contact carrier slidable in said housing, a first contact member mounted on said contact carrier, a resilient member between said first contact member and said carrier urging said first contact member towards said first group of terminals so that said first contact member interconnects selected terminals of said first group upon sliding movement of said carrier, recesses in said housing on the opposite side of said contact carrier to said first group of terminals, projection means on said carrier for resiliently engaging said recesses so as to retain releasably said first contact member in any one of a plurality of positions relative to said first group of terminals, a second contact member slidable in said housing transversely of the direction of movement of said first contact member to interconnect selected terminals in said second group of terminals, operating means for sliding each of said contact members, each operating means projecting externally of said housing, a plate, an operating lever, and a pair of pivots mounting said operating lever for movement relative to said plate about two mutually transverse axes, said housing being carried by said plate and arranged so that said operating means projecting externally of said housing can be selectively operated by said operating lever upon movement thereof relative to said plate about said two mutually transverse axes.
 2. The electrical switch according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a pair of recesses therein, each recess receiving one of said first and second contact members.
 3. The electrical switch according to claim 1, wherein said operating means of said first contact member is movable transversely with respect to said housing and said operating means for said second member is slidable in and out relative to said housing.
 4. The electrical switch according to claim 1, wherein a conductor strip attached to each terminal is adapted to be engaged selectively by said second contact member, a first and a second of said conductor strips being spaced apart in the direction of sliding movement of said second contact member and a third of said conductor strips being spaced from both of said first and second conductor strips transversely of the direction of sliding movement so that, in one position of said second contact member, said first and third conductor strips are interconnected and, in another position of said second contact member, said second and third conductor strips are interconnected.
 5. The electrical switch according to claim 10, wherein said plate is carried by a sleeve which is adapted to be mounted on a steering column of a motor vehicle. 